Apparatuses of the vibratory or oscillating type are known, to convey a metal charge to a container of a melting plant, advantageously a melting furnace.
Such known apparatuses provide a segment long enough to pre-heat the metal charge sufficiently, by means of fumes exiting from the furnace, while it is being conveyed.
Each of the known apparatuses comprises a bearing structure on which a conveyor channel is mounted, having a substantially U-shaped cross section or similar.
At least part of the conveyor channel is covered at the upper part by one or more hoods that define a tunnel into which the fumes exiting from the melting furnace flow, in the direction opposite to that in which the metal charge advances, at the same time carrying out the pre-heating.
The conveyor channel is provided along the lateral walls with apertures communicating with suction channels, directly connected to fume suction means.
The fume suction means create a depression inside the suction channels and, through the apertures present in the lateral walls of the conveyor channel, take in the fumes. The hot fumes pass through the metal charge and heat it.
As the fumes pass through the metal charge, also due to the high suction capacity of the suction means, a considerable quantity of small metal fragments, for example metal chip, are taken in through the suction means.
As a consequence, not all the metal charge is carried into the melting furnace and most of the fragments stop inside the suction channels, obstructing the passage of the fumes and altering the suction conditions.
Furthermore, to this we must add the need for frequent maintenance operations with consequent downtimes of the plant, in order to remove from the suction channels the fragments that are deposited in them.
Applicant has therefore set himself the purpose of eliminating the passage of thin charge material, such as for example metal chip, in order to limit the maintenance interventions both in the suction channels and in the suction means.
Another purpose is to achieve an apparatus that has limited costs and times of management and maintenance compared with the state of the art.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.